Alabama bill raises concern among licensed wildlife rehabbers
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — At least 24 times a day, birds at the Alabama Wildlife Center are fed with nutrients to help them grow and gain strength in hopes of releasing them to the wild.
Called rehabilitating, it's something the center has been doing for nearly 50 years.
'It takes professionals and dedication,' said Alabama Wildlife Center Executive Director Chris Sykes. 'It takes a lot of resources.'
Sykes said he's concerned that could change with the introduction of HB448, known as the Alabama Good Samaritan Wildlife Rehabilitation Act.
The bill would allow people to care for injured or orphaned wild birds or animals under certain conditions, regardless of experience or qualifications. The bill does not include wildlife that is federally protected.
'There's a whole host of issues that can arise from taking in wildlife without knowing the proper protocols on releasing or the proper protocols on caring for these individual animals,' Sykes said. 'There's a lot that goes into nutritional guidelines and what you have to do to get them ready for the wild.'
Should there be harsher punishments for Alabama's Hands-Free Law?
David Frings, associate director of the master of science in environmental management program at Samford University, shares a similar view.
'I see the compassion side of it, but if we're going to try to get the state to step up and allow people to help, these people just need to be trained,' Frings said. 'They just need to know what they're doing for both the animal and human sake.'
The bill, which is sponsored by state Rep. Ben Harrison (R-Athens), does not allow people to keep the animals as permanent pets or authorize a person rehabilitating to engage in the practice of veterinary medicine. The bill is awaiting a vote from the House Agriculture and Forestry committee.
'Let's see how maybe we could increase the numbers of professional rehabbers that have the knowledge of how to actually rehab and have gone through the anti-rabies treatments.' Frings said.
Alabama has seven licensed wildlife rehabbers.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Medicaid spending in Mass. has nearly quadrupled in the past 20 years. It needs reform.
Advertisement Medicaid was The cost of this is staggering. The budget for the state's Medicaid program, called MassHealth, has to over Advertisement But this explosion in the cost of Medicaid begs the question: Has all this spending led to better health outcomes? Surprisingly, Despite these findings, even modest Medicaid reform in Republican proposals before Congress — like encouraging community engagement through volunteering or work, preventing duplicate payments to insurers, and closing state-level However, it should be noted that the current proposals in Washington — which the House passed last week and are now in the Republican-controlled Senate — will result in more Medicaid spending over 10 years, not less. The bill merely slows the rate of growth. Only in Washington, D.C., is more spending decried as a cut. The fundamental issue remains: Are we prioritizing the right goals? Advertisement The evidence on the power of connection is . Past state-level experiments with work engagement in programs like food stamps and welfare cash assistance offer a promising road map. A Medicaid reform could similarly refocus state efforts on connecting enrollees with community engagement rather than solely maximizing federal funding. Encouragingly, these past reforms also saw a halving of the time individuals needed to stay on public assistance. Shouldn't we celebrate if someone like J.D. could earn enough to transition to employer-based or ACA coverage? Sadly, too often, critics characterize any transition off Medicaid as Advertisement While Medicaid reform often faces bipartisan heartburn, paradoxically there's longtime bipartisan agreement that major entitlement programs are growing unsustainably. If we can't at least slow the rate of growth, in part by delivering better outcomes, then our fiscal house of cards may fall, which hurts the most vulnerable. Our leaders must shift the debate from simply protecting the flow of federal dollars to ensuring that every Medicaid dollar genuinely improves patient health. Current inertia seems more about preserving the status quo than addressing the health impact on individuals like J.D. Meanwhile, our communities suffer as we miss out on J.D.'s contributions to society. The federal proposals provide a crucial moment to discuss opening doors of opportunity rather than defending a system that requires poverty for coverage. It's time to move beyond simply paying insurance companies for a card in J.D.'s pocket and focus on reforms that foster human thriving.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nonprofit organization donates 3 AED's to American Village
MONTEVALLO, Ala. (WIAT) — The Lord Wedgewood Charity donated three Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to Montevallo's American Village. Based in Birmingham, the Lord Wedgewood Charity is dedicated to supplying high schools and community gathering places with AEDs. 'The donation was made possible through the collaborative efforts of several local leaders with deep ties to American Village and each other,' American Village said in a statement. Rusty Lowe, an alum of Leadership Shelby County who works with GoRescue, will assist with installation and training for the AED units. 23-year-old former Walker County deputy pleads guilty in case involving death of Anthony 'Tony' Mitchell 'This is an important step for American Village to provide safety for their visitors and staff,' Lowe said in a statement. 'We are excited to be part of this process. AEDs and CPR are of utmost importance for the survival of victims experiencing sudden cardiac arrest and time is of the essence.' According to a statement from American Village, this donation will enhance emergency preparedness and ensure a safe environment. 'This is a great example of what happens when a community works together,' Alan Miller, CEO of American Village stated. 'Thanks to the kindness and initiative of these individuals and organizations, we are better prepared to respond to medical emergencies—especially during large public events like Independence Day, when we welcome thousands of visitors to campus.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Senate Republicans Eye Medicare Changes To Help Pay For Tax Cuts
WASHINGTON ― Republicans are so strapped for budget savings to offset their multi-trillion dollar tax cuts they're looking in a forbidden and politically explosive place: Medicare. The $5 trillion tax-and-spending package that the House passed includes cuts of nearly $900 billion to Medicaid, which serves over 70 million low-income Americans. Now, some Senate Republicans are pushing to broaden spending reductions by looking for supposed inefficiencies in the Medicare program that serves America's seniors. 'The president indicated waste, fraud and abuse is a permissible target,' Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told HuffPost after a meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday. 'Part of the issue has to do with abuse in Medicare Advantage.' Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Republicans were looking at 'upcoding,' or the practice of health care providers using inaccurate diagnosis codes in order to wring more money from Medicare Advantage, the Medicare program run by private insurers. Grassley said the topic had come up at Monday meetings, but he wasn't sure if the president was on board. Other Republicans stressed the idea of major changes to Medicare isn't a serious one. 'There's been some discussion. I think the general consensus is it's off the table,' Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said. Fiddling with Medicare — even at the edges, without touching people's benefits — is extremely risky and would fly in the face of Trump's earlier pledges not to go after the program. Democrats have already attacked the GOP bill over estimates that it would kick millions of people off their health care. Putting Medicare into the mix could give them even more ammo to wallop Republicans ahead of next year's midterm elections. 'For Republicans to even suggest Medicare be cut to bankroll billionaire tax breaks is frightening and revolting,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Republicans should go after Medicare if they 'never want to win another election again.' 'After George W. Bush tried to privatize Social Security in 2004, Republicans didn't win the popular vote for 20 years. Let that sink in,' he added. Democrats have previously suggested that Republicans consider going after upcoding as a way of saving money in their legislation instead of cutting Medicaid. 'This practice by private, for-profit insurance companies leads to wasteful spending in Medicare, picking the pockets of seniors and taxpayers while adding tens of billions in costs to the federal government,' a group of more than 40 Democrats said in a May letter to Republican leaders. Senate Republicans are under internal and external pressure to include more spending cuts in their version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which they are hoping to send to Trump's desk by the July 5 holiday. The House draft would reduce spending by $1.7 trillion, but a group of Senate conservatives is pushing for the Senate to cut even deeper to address the nation's debt. Billionaire Elon Musk, meanwhile, has been on an extraordinary rampage on his social media platform X, calling the bill an 'abomination' because of its negative impact on the deficit, and urging Trump and Republicans to scrap it and start all over. 'The Big Ugly Bill will INCREASE the deficit to $2.5 trillion!' he wrote in a social media post. The math problem is compounded for Senate Republicans by the fact that a number of their members are pushing to scale back provisions in the House bill that, if altered, would increase the total cost of the package. These include its repeal of Inflation Reduction Act renewable energy tax credits, a freeze on the Medicaid 'provider tax,' and its cuts to federal food aid. Moreover, key Senate Republicans have expressed a desire to make permanent a whole host of business tax cuts that, under the House bill, would expire in five years. That, too, would balloon the cost of the bill. For now, at least, GOP senators are expressing confidence about finding a path forward. 'We just started our conversation yesterday, we're just diving into it,' Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said when asked about potential additional spending cuts. 'Everything's on the table. We're going to use the structure the House sent over, but we may repaint the walls and redecorate some of the interior rooms.'
